A Castle Picnic Fit for a Peasant

When is the last time you lived your dream? Even for a few hours? One of my fantasies, believe it or not, was to hang out in the woods near a castle and tear off chunks of rustic bread with cheese swallowed down with a stout red wine. I actually had the opportunity to live that dream. But this particular one happened in Switzerland. Let me tell you about it….

Countryside in Switzerland near our castle. Photo quality is poor due to camera

Driving through the winding forested hills, I noticed the remains of a castle high on a woodsy hilltop. My husband and I decided to take a detour and see if we could learn more about it. We followed a bumpy gravel road that lead to a tiny rustic store of sorts. We learned from the young man at the counter that we could continue to walk up the road and enter the castle. But first we needed refreshment. It had been hours since we ate and we were famished. So we bought….you guessed it, a loaf of hearty bread, a chunk of white cheese and a bottle of red wine. Actually, that’s about all they had to sell but it fit my taste perfectly.

We gathered our lunch and walked a short distance toward the castle. Off to our left was a large fallen tree that provided a perfect perch to sit on. My husband had a small pocketknife, so we tore off chunks of bread, cut slices of cheese and washed it all down with a shared bottle of wine. I loved every minute of it. I imagined Robin Hood and Friar Tuck giving us the thumbs up. We could not finish so we hid it all behind the log and ventured onward to the castle. The afternoon seemed to vanish as we explored the nooks, tunnels and crannies of the castle ruins. I didn’t see any information about it, but it must have existed for centuries before its sad decay.

On the way back down the trail, we saw the fallen tree where we had our lunch hours ago. I walked up to it and peeked over to the other side. Sure enough, there was our bottle of left over wine, with a brown sack which held our bread and cheese sitting next to it.

Since then, I’ve had similar experiences just as magical in Italy, but this was my very first one and honestly, it blew my mind. Just a simple experience with a lasting impact.

When we left to continue on our way, I knew I would never forget this unexpected opportunity to live out a fantasy of mine, even if only for a few hours. A sweet memory was made, one that brings a smile to my lips and a satisfaction to my soul.

Have you ever had the chance to live out a fantasy? What is your story? I’d love to hear about it so please feel free to share.